May 13, 2008 – Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 is set to feature sixteen courses, five of which will be new: Gary Player Country Club in South Africa, Wentworth Country Club in England, Sheshan Golf Club in China, Wolf Creek in Nevada, and Bay Hill in Florida. With an undetermined-as-of-yet number of courses removed from Tiger Woods 08, that leaves off a number of courses that we’d love to see either make their triumphant return or arrival within EA’s golf franchise.
We picked five American and five international courses who would inspire new interest in the game’s course selection, starting with the most famous golf course of all.
Augusta National (Augusta, GA)
The legendary home of the Masters requires little explanation. It’s unlikely to appear in Tiger Woods anytime soon because of the ethical issues surrounding the club and its extremely tight grip on its own image, but the course is arguably iconic enough that you could build a whole game around it and it would be worth buying. For most people, it’s the only chance they’ll ever get to play such a memorable course.
Pine Valley (Clementon, NJ)
Sure, you don’t think “elite golf course” when you think of southern New Jersey. Contributing to Pine Valley’s isolation amongst the public is its relative small size, unconventional layout (players can only see one hole at a time), and lack of appearances on the national stage — Pine Valley’s been featured as the home for one singles match, and that was 45 years ago. Golf Magazine’s “Best Golf Course In The World” in 2007 deserves to be seen by more people.
Black Course at Bethpage State Park (Farmingdale, NY)
The coolest-sounding course in golf is also a bike trail away from our old backyard, so it has sentimental value. The course was last featured in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06, and as arguably the most difficult course in US Open history, it should be featured in time for next year’s game, which comes out as the course once again hosts the Open. Unlike Augusta or Pine Valley, the state-owned course is available to anyone and costs only $64 for in-state residents.
Lake Course at The Olympic Club (Daly City, CA)
Our other sentimental favorite is this course, located just minutes away from the IGN office in sunny Brisbane, CA. While Daly City is normally home for IGN employees looking to pick up slabs of meat or middling burritos at lunch, the course will host the 2012 US Open, its first Open since 1998. You also may have recently seen the course in the Dockers commercial that airs during every commercial break of the NBA playoffs, highlighting its gorgeous view of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Wynn Course (Las Vegas, NV)
Our dream is to hit a casino with a golf ball. Not to strike a blow against capitalism or anything, since we love Vegas and the free-market enterprise system, but how awesome would it be to hit a casino with a golf ball? Considering how much we suck at golf, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. In all seriousness, the Wynn course is the only one on the Las Vegas Strip, but you’ll need to shell out for a night at the Wynn and $500 a round.
Royal County Down (Newcastle, Northern Ireland)
Perhaps the most exclusive golf club in the world, the invitation-only club is known for being among the most difficult golf courses in the world as well. While difficult isn’t always fun, what makes the course so fantastic are its views of Dundrum Bay and the ability for members to play on any given day with any of the club’s other members. With championship tees at nearly 7200 yards and a terrain so rocky and hilly that golf carts aren’t usable, the course is ready for Segways — and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2010.
Royal Melbourne West (Melbourne, Australia)
The course features only one water hazard, making it unique to the other courses featured in Tiger Woods. The West Course contributes several holes to join with the East Course and make a composite course that could also feature on this list, but the West Course and its nearly 6600-yard layout is generally regarded as the best course in Australia.
Carnoustie (Carnoustie, Scotland)
The famed home of The Open Championship affects players’ performance so much that being flustered by weather conditions has become known as “The Carnoustie Effect”, which may also be the name of a bad Ashton Kuchter movie. Generally considered the most difficult of the nine United Kingdom courses that make up the Open Tournament’s rotation, Carnoustie hosted the legendary tournament most recently in 2007. It will be ready for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2015.
Hirono Golf Club (Kobe, Japan)
In an attempt to pick courses outside of the traditional meccas of golf, we present the ultra-exclusive Hirono club in Kobe. It’s almost impossible to get a chance to play here, which is why so few have actually heard of the course. Its most famous hole is as such because of another, similar hole; the 15th here is the brother hole for Pebble Beach’s 8th hole, both requiring golfers to hit the ball over a ravine to reach the green.
Casa de Campo (La Romana, Dominican Republic)
“Casa de Campo” translates to “Teeth of the Dog”, which sounds like the greatest minigolf course ever. Instead, it’s a course in the Dominican Republic, of all places, that sees a dramatic swoop down and alongside the Caribbean sea. EA’s goal with this year’s game was to find and incorporate courses that stood out because of their architecture and landscape, and it’s hard to think of a better example than the gorgeous Casa de Campo.
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